Snapshots
by Petunia846
Summary: Rachel's story.
1. Snapshots

**Chapter 1: Snapshots**

I think I've always had the eye of a photographer. A good photographer can step back and see a scene, see a situation, from the outside. Even if you're standing right there, you're not really. You are in your mind's eye; composing the angles, appreciating the light splayed across a tabletop or the patterns produced by the perfect grouping of random objects.

Not many people live life like that. For most people life moves too fast. They live in the thick of it everyday, and that's what brings so many of life's surprises and so much heartbreak. I've always prided myself on being able to step back and view life from the outside, to freeze a moment and analyze it from all sides. That's what I bring to my photography. It's a good trait to possess, until it starts to work too well.

Growing up in Stars Hollow there were always plenty of moments to freeze: festivals and parades, spring sunrises and winter storms. And the people there have so much character. You can really read it on their faces. I was always reading faces and body language.

I found my first camera at a town rummage sale. It was the first one since we had moved there and those kind of things were still new and exciting. It was sitting there on the steps of the gazebo, surrounded by a chipped teapot without a lid, a stack of old National Geographics, a couple of beat up toasters, and a collection of Broadway musicals on 8-track. It was late in the afternoon and things were already coated with a thin layer of pollen. I picked up the old Leica, took a deep breath, and blew most of the pollen away. I ran to find my dad and begged him to buy it.

The majority of those early pictures were somewhat blurry and dark, but I loved them anyway. I guess I could look past those things and still see what I wanted to see in the shots. I'm kind of the same way with people. I always tried to see what I wanted to see in people, even if it wasn't really there.

I fiddled around with the camera for five years, until I started at Stars Hollow High. Photography was an elective, and I also started to work for the school paper. My job was to shoot events at school, including sports. That's how I met Luke. Well, I guess not met really, I mean we had basically known each other since we were little, but we'd never really gotten to know each other. He spent so much time with his family, even before his mom got sick. And when he wasn't with them he was playing sports.

Spring semester they assigned me to cover a story on the track team. They were winning all their meets, and it looked like they were going to the state championships under the leadership of Luke, aka Butch, Danes, their rising senior star. It was an unusually warm day in early May when I ventured out to the track after school. I shot some quick pictures of the team running and doing basic track team stuff. Then I sat around on the bleachers for a while until they were finished.

I watched Luke Danes like I never really had before. He was tall and lean. His hair was cropped short on the sides, but slightly longer on top. The team's uniforms left a lot to be desired, but they did show off his toned chest very nicely. When he ran, Luke looked like he was in another world. He was completely focused on his goal and paid no attention to the things going on around him.

After practice I walked over to where he sat on the field stretching.

"Um, excuse me," I said as my shadow fell over him, breaking his concentration.

"Yeah?" He was kind of unnerving to talk to. His eyes were very intense.

"Um, well, my name is Rachel. I'm supposed to take some pictures of you for the Minutemen Gazette."

"Oh, well, uh...okay. What do you want me to do?"

"Well I thought I'd take some shots of you either running, or getting ready to run, or uh...I...uh, I really don't know. I don't do much sports photography." God. He probably thought I was a complete idiot at this point.

"Okay, well how about this," he said standing up. He walked over to the track again and crouched down like he was about to start a race. He turned his head to look back up at me with a sparkling gleam in his eye. "Is this what you were thinking of?"

All I could think of at the moment were his incredible muscles straining to hold the pose. Damn hormones always flaring up at the most inconvenient times.

"Yes! That's great. Here, let me just..." I snapped a couple shots of him in place, "there. That should be perfect. Thanks."

"Wonderful," he said standing up. He clapped the dust off his palms then looked down and stared at them for a minute. "So, um, I don't usually read the Gazette very often. Could you maybe bring me a copy or two when you run the article? You could bring them by my dad's store, I'm always there."

"Yeah, definitely," I nodded, pushing a curl behind my left ear. "Thanks. Well, I guess I should be going." I smiled at him. He smiled at me. My heart was racing so fast that it beat me home.


	2. Opening Doors

**Chapter 2: Opening Doors**

The pictures ran a week later, and I was self-conscious all day at school worrying that somehow someone would be able look at the pictures and sense the giddy feeling I got when Luke Danes was around.

On Saturday morning I went to deliver several copies of the paper to Luke. His dad's store was a place called Willams Hardware. It was a beautiful building on the square that apparently his dad had built himself. As I pushed the door open, a little bell rang over my head. With my presence announced but unnoticed, I stood by the door and looked around for a minute. There were cluttered shelves and tables everywhere I looked. I didn't know much about hardware, but from what I could tell, there was no rhyme or reason to how things were laid out. Two men were standing around the counter arguing loudly.

"Who cares about the damn Commies," one of them said.

"Well obviously I don't care about them, but what good is it to win something when your worst opponent isn't even participating?"

"I say good riddance. Why would we want those fuckers in LA anyway? Keep our country free of that kind of scum."

"Oh shut up Louie, I'm just saying, it doesn't seem right."

Still unnoticed, I took another step inside and picked up an old doorknob from a box of random odds and ends. The dust I unsettled floated around like a bunch of fruit flies in the late morning sun. The men were still arguing quite loudly about the up coming Olympics. I set the doorknob back down and the rising dust made me to sneeze.

The men stopped arguing suddenly. One of them came out from behind the register.

"What was that?"

"Someone's in here. Hello? Where are you?"

I tried to take a deep breath, but sneezed again. I came back out from behind the shelves. "Hi," I sniffled. "I'm...ah...I'm looking for Luke."

"Oh," the man said. " Well I'm his father. Luke's upstairs in the office doing the books. Did you need to give him something?" He pointed to what I held in my arms.

Suddenly I remembered why I was here in the first place. "Yeah...I mean, yes sir. He asked me to bring these by."

"That's fine. Why don't you just take them up there yourself." He pointed to some stairs. "It's right up there."

"Thank you," I said nervously. I tucked my head down and walked past the other man, Louie, to go upstairs. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked by.

At the top of the narrow stairs was a small hallway. A door was open and I could hear announcers calling a baseball game on the radio. I walked quietly over to the doorway and peeked inside. Luke sat at a huge wooden desk, hunched over an enormous ledger book, his back to the door. The men on the radio roared about a home run. Luke looked up at the radio for a moment, as if he could see what was happening.

I rapped lightly on the door's glass. Luke turned around startled, then stood up quickly, almost knocking over the chair.

"Hi," he said quickly. He looked nervous, but he was trying to play it cool.

"Hi," I said. "I brought you some copies of the paper like you wanted."

"Oh, right. Thanks." He came closer as I held out the papers for him.

"The pictures of you are right here just below the fold."

"You mean I'm not the lead story?" he quipped.

I smiled involuntarily; his eyes were steadying the queasy feeling in my stomach. "Yeah, well nothing beats out a biting expose on the need for new carpet in the library."

"Heh," he laughed, deep and rough. I couldn't help but notice the sparkling gold tones in his hair.

We stood still for several moments. Both of us kind of swayed where we stood. We didn't notice the person coming up the stairs until he was standing between us.

Luke stepped away from me quickly. "Uncle Louie, wha...what do you want?"

"Lucas," he drawled, "your dad sent me up here to see if you would run a delivery. Who's your friend?"

"This is Rachel. Rachel Hadley. She brought over some copies of the school paper. They did a story on me and the track team. See," Luke showed his uncle the picture.

"Well that's a damn fine picture, boy. Your mom'd be proud." It was a nice sentiment, but seemed somehow condescending the way he said it.

Luke shuffled his feet, and looked down at the floor. One of his fists clenched. He worked his jaw for a split second before looking back up at his uncle. "Right," he said quietly. He looked back at me. "Well I guess I've got to go."

"Yeah, that's okay. I just wanted to bring those by for you."

"Well thanks."

"Oh...you're welcome. I...I should be going too." We shuffled around each other, out the door, and down the stairs. Luke stopped at the counter to talk to his dad.

"Bye," I said quietly. I attempted a nonchalant wave, but immediately regretted it.

"Bye," Luke called as I left.

I was halfway across the square when I heard my name. "Rachel," Luke called after me. I turned around and saw him jogging towards me with a package under his arm. "Hey, I'm sorry about that," he said when he reached me.

"Oh...it's...it's, okay," I stuttered, my hands tucked in my pockets.

"Listen, I have to go, but...uh...I was wondering...Some guys on the team are having a graduation party next week. You're, um, welcome to come...if you want to I mean."

"Well, I'd have to check with my dad, but I...um...sure. Yeah," I didn't know what else to say, and I giggled nervously.

He laughed a little too, then smiled sweetly. "Okay then, great. I...I'll call you some time before then." He started walking away backwards. "Well, I've gotta go," he flashed that smile.

I smiled back and waved again. This time with much more success. I stood there in the square and watched him run off before floating the rest of my way home.


	3. Messages

**Chapter 3: Messages **

I tried to not just lay around the house all week waiting for his call. I desperately wanted to, but I also didn't want to be that kind of girl. I could sense where this was going. I was young and inexperienced in the matters of the heart, but I wasn't dumb. The nights were staying warmer so I spent a lot of time out and about town, just me and my camera. Looking back at those pictures, they weren't very good. My mind was elsewhere, but the photography was cathartic.

Our paths rarely crossed at school, just because we were in different grades and had different schedules. Stars Hollow High was a small school, but still big enough for someone to be a wallflower if they wanted to. I was worried about what I was getting myself into. I mean, Luke seemed like a nice guy and all, but I wasn't really sure he was my type. Anytime I did see Luke at school he always had girls fawning all over him. I couldn't tell whether he was a jock for the popularity of it or just because he really enjoyed it. And Butch? Seriously, who thought that was a good idea?

I was intrigued by his reaction to what his uncle had said about his mother. His mom had died shortly before my dad and I moved to Stars Hollow. I remember people at school talking about it. I remember thinking that Luke and his sister were actually pretty lucky. At least they had known their mom. My mom had walked out on me and my father when I was two. I was always jealous of the kids who's moms came in to volunteer at school or took them shopping in Hartford on the weekends. I loved my dad, he was my life, my biggest role model, but he couldn't be a mother. I was beginning to sense that Luke felt the same way. I could tell that he loved his father. Why else would he spend every spare moment working at the store? But the way he responded to the comment about his mom the other day really showed me that he still had some very strong feelings of loss and even anger.

But then, maybe I was getting ahead of myself.

Thursday night I came home to find a message by the phone. Dad had scrawled the details of the party on the back of an envelope. He was asleep in front of the TV with the newspaper spread out across his lap. I shook his shoulder gently.

"Dad...Dad...DAD"

He finally sputtered awake. "Mwa...huh...Rachel? Oh, hi sweetie."

I held up the message. "When did he call?"

"Mmm...around seven, I think."

"I can't believe you talked to him. Why didn't you just take down his number?"

He narrowed his eyes and gave me one of his patented crooked smiles. "Because if I did that, you would somehow manage to talk yourself out of calling him back. And this way, I get to know what you're up to."

I tried to pout, just for effect, but I knew he was right. "Thanks Dad," I whispered and kissed him goodnight.


	4. Bees and Fire

**Chapter 4: Bees and Fire**

"Rachel!"

I wasn't used to hearing my name spoken like that. Deeply masculine, and yet extremely gentle, almost soothing.

I was standing on the outskirts of a field where a huge bonfire was burning and, what seemed like, the entire student body of Stars Hollow High were milling around it. From my vantage point I couldn't really make out any faces, just bodies coming together to form small groups then separating and regrouping with other bodies. Kind of an organized chaos, like bees in a bee hive. Only an entomologist could truly understand all the dynamics at work.

The body coming towards me was easy to make out. I smiled at him.

"Hi," was all I could think to say.

"Hey. What are you doing all the way out here? You've been standing here for almost five minutes."

I blushed. "Oh, yeah, I was just kind of watching everything."

He tilted his head to the side and gave me a funny look. "Watching everything?"

"Yeah, nevermind...it's just something I do."

"Okay..." he turned around and looked back at the crowd. "It is kind of nice over here."

I'm not sure how long we stood next to each other like that, because I lost all track of time while I focused on how close his hand was to mine.

"You brought your camera," he finally said.

"Yeah, you never know when you might see the perfect shot."

He looked over at me and smiled, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Our moment was interrupted by a faceless body standing at the edge of the crowd. "Luke!"

I heard him sigh. "Yeah," he yelled back curtly.

"What'er you doin'? We need you over'ere to settle somethin'," this faceless person was obviously drunk, or headed that way.

He looked at me apologetically. "Hang on...I'm coming." He grabbed my hand. "Come on," he said and pulled me along with him.

It took my eyes a few moments to adjust to the fire light. When they did I recognized the faceless person who had called us as one of the other track team members. A guy named John, I think. Also around were four girls. One I recognized as being Luke's sister, Liz. The other three were seniors like her, Carrie, Anna, and Jill. They were dressed in outfits more appropriate for Studio 54 than a field party in Stars Hollow. All four were flushed from the combination of alcohol and heat.

"Luke! Thank God you're back," Liz threw her arms around her brother's neck, throwing them both off balance. He let go of my hand to push her back up.

"Geez Liz, you smell like a brewery," he told her. I hung back, wondering if he would introduce me or take my hand again.

"Aww, I just love when my brother calls me a drunk," she spat sarcastically to her posse with a roll of her eyes.

"What did you want?"

Carrie jumped in to answer. She leaned in and stroked his arm. "Well, we were just having a debate over here about perfume. John says most guys like a girl with a nice woodsy scent, but we think guys really want a girl who smells like flowers. And I thought, who better than Butch Danes to have the final say."

Luke was red and flustered. He was trying to get her off his arm and avoid eye contact with all of them. "Geez Carrie, I don't know. It's not like I go around sniffing women all the time."

"Oh, so only some of the time then," she laughed at her friends. "Well you can sniff me if you need to," she said trying to be seductive, but mostly just coming off as drunk.

He took a step back out of fear.

"You can sniff any of us when ever you want Butch," Jill added. The girls huddled together for a quick giggle.

"I'm not sniffing any of you. This is the stupidest argument I've ever heard."

John swayed a little then piped in, "naw, come on Luke, what about team spirit, you gotta be with me...you can't let me lose an argument to these beautiful ladies here. What would happen to my reputation?"

"This is ridiculous. I'm going to go get us something to drink. You'll have to fend for yourself buddy."

"Well what do _you_ think?" Liz said.

It took me a minute to register that someone was actually talking to me now. They were all staring at me, waiting for my answer. Why couldn't I seem to make words come out of my mouth? Crap.

"I...uh...," how were four girls dressed like clowns this intimidating? Luke was looking at me now too. He put a hand on my shoulder and suddenly I felt a hundred times better. "I don't know. I don't go around sniffing women either." Luke chuckled quietly to himself. I realized I was breathing again.

The girls were glaring at me; especially Liz. "Who's your friend Luke?"

Luke looked at her startled. He pulled me in under his arm. "This is Rachel," he told them.

I felt the stabs of their inspection. The girls exchanged looks. "So you two are here...together?" Anna asked.

Luke nodded then smiled at me. "If you all will excuse us, we need to get something to drink."

"Of course buddy," John said pounding Luke on the shoulder in approval.

Luke gripped me tightly and steered me away from the crazy people. "Sorry about that," he whispered close to my ear.

I think the feeling of his breath on my neck made my heart skip a beat. "Oh, that's okay," I said, barely able to make the words out.

We wove through the crowd until finally we got to a huge cooler of drinks. He let go of me and opened it up. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Umm, just a soda is fine."

"Okay." He grabbed a soda for me and beer for himself then pulled me over to an empty hay bale.

"So...," he tried to start.

"So...," I smiled back.

"Those were some really great pictures you took the other day."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, how long have you been doing that?"

"Umm, probably five or six years now. It's mostly just a hobby."

"Well you're really good at it. Maybe you could be like a professional photographer or something."

"Ha! Well I don't know if I'm that good," I told him, blushing a little. I liked how the fire light was playing on his features, making them glow.

He smiled. "So...this is nice."

"Yeah," I grinned shyly, looking down at my drink as I took a sip.

"I, um...I was gonna ask you...," I looked back up at him as he spoke. "I was, um, I was wondering if you'd want to go maybe see a movie sometime."

My heart fluttered and I shivered as a chill ran over my body. He was asking me out on a real date, not just a tag along if you're not busy kind of thing. I shrugged my shoulders, tucked my chin down and looked up at him. "That would be nice," I said.

"Good," he said quietly and rested a hand on my knee.

"Yeah...good," I echoed back.


	5. Movies and Lights

**Chapter 5: Movies and Lights**

Luke picked me up around six the following Saturday for our movie date. I watched him walk up the front steps from my bedroom window. He was dressed in khaki pants and a dark blue, long-sleeved t-shirt.

I heard my dad open the door. "Well hello young man. How're you doing?"

"Umm good...I mean, well, sir."

I looked down at them from the top of the stairs. They were about the same height, but in his nervous state Luke looked somewhat shorter. He twisted his hands together and shuffled a little on his feet.

"Wonderful. Well, Rachel's around here somewhere. Rachel? Rachel?"

"Here Dad. Coming..." I ran down the stairs. Luke's face brightened when he saw me.

Suddenly I was shy again. "Hey."

"Hi."

We were quiet, just staring at each other. I heard Dad sigh. "Okay," he said. "Come on you two." He pushed me towards the door. "Have fun. I'll probably be asleep when you get back, so see you tomorrow."

"Bye Dad." I kissed him quickly before he kicked us out.

"That was the weirdest movie I've ever seen," Luke said.

"Well I think they wanted it that way," I told him. "When you saw the title "Children of the Corn," what were you expecting? A picnic?"

"It was worse than that pizza you made me eat."

"I didn't _make_ you eat anything. You're the one who suggested it in the first place."

He chuckled. "Well I didn't think you'd actually accept my first offer."

"What kind of American girl would I be if I turned down pizza?"

"Maybe one who wants to live past fifty."

"I hadn't figured you as a health nut."

"Well I guess you really do learn something new everyday."

I slipped my arm though his as we walked home. It was a clear, warm night in Stars Hollow. I had learned a lot of new things tonight. I was happy. He liked me, and he was the first guy who had ever treated me this way. He was a good person and that was all that mattered. I looked up at him as we walked. He had his face turned up slightly, into the breeze. With my eyes I followed his profile down his forehead, down his nose, over his beautiful lips, then back around along his jaw to his ear. He was also a very, very handsome person.

We were nearing the corner with Luke's dad's store. Luke slowed his pace. He had a confused look on his face.

"Why is Dad still here? It's late," he muttered under his breath.

We came around to the front of the store. Luke gently freed his arm and walked up to the door to peer inside. He turned around to me. "I'm sorry. I'll only be a minute. I just want to see why he's still here. Make sure everything's okay. If you come in and wait I'll still walk you home."

"That's fine," I assured him and walked inside behind him.

"I'll be right back," he promised and slipped into the back storeroom calling for his father.

I had just started to browse a random aisle when he came back out again quickly. "Not there. Let me check upstairs. I'll be right back, I promise." He was so cute to be worried about offending me.

I continued to browse as he ran up the stairs. It was so quiet I could hear the glass rattle in the office door as he swung it open. Luke's boots clomped around a little.

Then I heard him scream, "Dad! Help! Rachel!" The box of nails I had idly picked up fell to the floor and burst open, flinging the tiny, finishing nails all over the floor.

I bolted up the stair two at a time. An awful knot was forming in my stomach. Luke was kneeling over the body of his father. The look on Luke's face was a grotesque, disturbed version of the one I had studied earlier. I froze in the doorway.

"My God," was all I could utter. "Is..."

"No," he answered quickly, as if he didn't want to consider that possibility.

I finally leapt to action and reached for the phone.

"No," he said. "An ambulance'll take too long. I've got to drive'im myself." He tossed me a key. "I'm sorry. Will you lock the front door as you leave?"

"Luke, no. I'm going with you."

"Rachel..."

"Shut up, Luke. Come on, I'll help you get him up."

We managed to hoist him up onto Luke's shoulder. I helped Luke down the stairs and locked the door behind us.


	6. Hearts

**Chapter 6: Hearts**

Luke was being stoic. I sat across from him in the waiting room while he filled out paper work. He was so tense that it was hard to tell if he was really sitting in the hard, plastic chair or just hovering there. He hadn't looked up in five minutes, even though I was blatantly staring at him. Every once in a while he would scribble something on the form or flip the page and purse his lips, but he never looked back up at me.

On our way to the hospital Luke's father had come to for a little while. He was groggy and not quite sure about where he was or what was going on. He just kept asking if Luke knew where his wife was and if she was okay. Luke kept his eyes on the road, his jaw tightly clenched, while I spoke hushed reassurances and held his father back to keep him from grabbing on Luke and crashing the truck.

Two men had rushed to the door when we pulled up. They put Luke's dad on a stretcher and wheeled him quickly out of sight. Luke hadn't said more than three words to me since then, and had barely even acknowledged my presence.

A couple of minutes went by and his pen remained frozen, motionless, above the paper. He sighed and leaned his forehead on his fist. I reached over and put my hand on his knee. "Luke?"

He looked up, startled. His blue eyes were wide. "Hwah...?"

I tried to speak softly. "Luke, can I help you with anything? Can I get you anything?"

"I can't remember my grandmother's middle name," he stated, looking at me out of a haze.

I tilted my head to get a better look at his lowered face. "What?" I asked. "I don't think that that's really going to matter Luke."

"No! It does matter. Look, they ask for it right here." He showed me the paper, pointing violently with his finger. "It's right here on this Family Medical History form. I can't remember my grandmother's middle name. What if someday I can't remember my mom's middle name?" His voice was hushed but his eyes were still wild, "or my dad's middle name?"

"Oh, Luke," I tried to soothe him. "Don't worry. It's going to be okay."

"You don't know that," he snapped at me. "Don't talk about things you know nothing about." He stalked off with the papers.

Tears stung my eyes. I got up quickly to find a pay phone, fumbling through my purse for some change. The phone rang six times. _Come on Dad. Wake up_, I thought. It rang four more times. _Please, Dad..._

"Mhello, " he mumbled.

"Dad?"

He must have heard the tears in my voice. "Rachel. What's wrong?"

"Dad," I paused, trying to think of how to phrase this. "I'm okay, but I'm at the hospital, and I need you to come pick me up."

"You're _at_ the hospital? Or you're _in_ the hospital?"

"I'm _at_ the hospital. It's not me, I swear, I'm fine. It's Luke's dad." I took a deep breath. "We were walking back from the movie and the lights were still on at his dad's store, so we went in to look, and his dad was passed out, and I helped Luke bring him to the hospital, but I don't think he needs me anymore, so I need you to come and get me. Please Dad, I just want to go home right now."

"Okay, okay, calm down sweetie. I'm putting my shoes on right now. I'll be there as quickly as I can."

I took a deep breath and tried not to let him hear me sniffle. "Thanks Dad," I whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too sweetie. Sit tight, I'll be right there. I promise."

"I know. Bye Dad."

"Bye baby."

I really was crying now, so I slipped into the ladies room. There was no one else in the room so I locked the door. I leaned my back against it and sank down to the floor, my head on my knees, and sobbed through deep, ragged breaths. I tried to make my heart understand what my brain knew: it wasn't me he was mad at, he was concerned about his father and at his wits end with worry. It hurt for him to yell like that, but I had to be strong for him, that's why I had come in the first place, that's how I wanted to help.

I let myself cry for a few minutes, took a couple deep breaths for strength, then got up and splashed some cool water on my face. I walked back out to the waiting room slowly, trying to steady myself for whichever version of Luke I would encounter. As soon as I turned the corner though, there he was.

"Rachel! I've been looking for you."

"I'm sorry, I went to the bathroom."

"Oh," he said. "Well I just talked to the doctor. He's going to be alright."

_I told you so_, I tried not to say out loud. "That's wonderful," I told him, my voice a little flat.

"He said Dad suffered heart failure because of...dilated cardio...," he looked at a piece of paper he had, "cardiomyopathy. They don't know yet when he'll be able to come home, but he'll be okay."

I nodded and tried to look at him like nothing was wrong, but it must not have worked.

He sighed and shuffled his feet. "I'm sorry about how I acted earlier. I was just...I was under a lot of stress."

"I know," I said quietly. "I understand."

"I really am sorry though. I shouldn't have yelled at you. You've done nothing but help me."

I took a deep breath and looked at him now. "It's okay. Really."

He took a step closer to me and held my hand. With his other hand he pushed a curl off my face, his fingers lingering on the back of my neck. I could barely hear him, but I knew what he said. "Thank you," he whispered. Then his lips were on mine, ever so slightly, incredibly soft and gentle. And as quickly as it had begun it was over. We were standing there staring at each other again, like two idiots. "Do you want to go get something to eat?" he asked finally.

"Oh," I remembered to breathe again. "I can't actually. I, um, called my dad. He's coming to pick me up."

He looked a little hurt. "Oh, alright, well I'll sit with you until he gets here."

I rubbed his arm a little. "Thanks. You know...I can stay if you want."

"No, no, you should go. I need to call Liz, and there are some other people who can come and help."

"Okay. If you're sure."

"I'm sure. Come on, let's go sit down."

He led me back over to the plastic, waiting room chairs and we sat with his arm around me and my head on his shoulder.

Maybe all of our hearts would be okay after all.


	7. Twists and Turns

**Chapter 7: Twists and Turns**

"You look beautiful." Luke was waiting for me outside the stadium at Stars Hollow High. Somehow he had convinced me to tag along for his sister's graduation. He pulled me in quickly for a delicate, peck of a kiss. "Hi," he said quietly.

"Hi," I said equally quietly.

People were streaming past us into the stadium for graduation, but we just stood there for a moment gazing, dreamily into each other's eyes. It seemed to me like we were doing that a lot lately.

Finally he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the stands. "Okay. Come on," he said. "I want to introduce you to everyone."

We wove through the crowds at a nauseating speed. Luke finally stopped and caught me before I completely tripped all over him. I looked down the row we had stopped at. I recognized his uncle, and some of the other people from seeing them around town.

Luke cleared his throat a little to get their attention. "Everyone, this is Rachel. I managed to convince her to come out today. Rachel, you remember my Uncle Louie; these are my cousins Fran, Paul, and Jim; and this is Buddy and his wife Maisie, they're friends of my parents."

I gave everyone a shy wave. The cousins and Luke's uncle grunted a hello before going back to their conversation. Buddy nodded hello with an approving grin at Luke. Maisie reached over and held my face in her hands.

"Buddy, look how beautiful. It's so good to finally meet you Rachel. I barely managed to get Lucas to admit he was seeing someone. He hasn't been very talkative lately"

"Lucas has never been very talkative," Buddy chimed in.

"Oh hush," she pushed him playfully. "It is nice to meet you dear," she reiterated.

"It's nice to meet you too," I told her.

I could hear the strains of the marching band starting up. Luke squeezed my hand. "It looks like we're getting started," he said, trying to disengage Maisie so we could all sit down.

"Oh, oh, okay," Maisie, said settling in next to me as we all took our seats. "I am just so excited for our Lizzy. She's all grown up. I remember her toddling around this town in diapers. It seems like yesterday."

"She hates when you call her that Maisie," Luke told her.

"Bhah," she said playfully, patting my leg in her excitement.

The music started up officially now and the class started processing in.

"Do you see Lizzy?" I heard Maisie whisper to Buddy.

"Nah," he whispered back.

I couldn't see Liz either, but I just figured that was because they were all dressed alike with those gowns and crazy hats. The principal was blabbering on about the future and responsibility. "Your life will not follow the path you've laid out for it," he said. "I can guarantee that. There will be twists and turns that you cannot fathom right now. Be responsible with your lives. Take care of the people around you."

I thought about the morning after I'd gone to the hospital with Luke and his father. After a good night's sleep I had explained everything to my dad over breakfast. I think he was proud of me for supporting a friend. I couldn't express to him the other thing I had realized that night- how lucky I was, to have my father, happy and healthy and here for me whenever I needed him. He was all I had.

I looked over at Luke and smiled. He was listening intently. I squeezed his hand. He looked over at me and smiled back. I didn't know how long it would last, but, I realized, I had Luke in my life now too.

"I can't believe it," Luke fumed. He paced back and forth in the living room of his family's house. "What's wrong with her? Where was she?"

"I'm sure she had a good reason for not being there, Lucas," Buddy tried to calm Luke down from the armchair he had settled into. Luke's uncle and cousins had fled the scene after it became clear that Liz had not shown up for graduation. Maisie, Buddy, and I had followed the seething Luke back to the house.

"What good reason could there be? It was her graduation. How could she not be there? What did she have to do that could be more important than that? When you finish school you go to graduation, that's what you do."

"Hush now," Maisie pressed a cup of tea into Luke's flailing hands. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Why don't you go sit down next to Rachel." Luke followed her orders, momentarily soothed by the warm mug in his hand. I brushed my fingers on his knee briefly, trying to feel like there was a reason for me to be here in the middle of this awkward family drama.

"Lucas," Buddy started in an effort to change the subject. "Your father and I were looking at 'Field and Stream' yesterday when I was at the hospital. He wants to go fishing again, as soon as he gets out."

"I'm not really sure that will be possible. The doctor said even when he comes home he'll probably be on bed rest for awhile."

"Well humor him, son. You know he just wants to spend time with you; do something you both enjoy."

"I know," Luke said quietly.

We all sat with our own thoughts for a few moments, the silence broken only by the ticking of a grandfather clock. As much as I enjoyed being with Luke, I was trying to figure out a way to escape this evening.

My thoughts were interrupted by slight creak of the front door. Liz tried to sneak in unnoticed, but quickly realized she should have tried another way. Luke was up before the door was even all the way open. His tea ended up, miraculously, in my hands. I took a sip and tried to dissolve into the couch.

"Where have you been?" Luke demanded of his sister.

"Hey bro', what's up?" she said coolly.

"What's up? What's up? I'll tell you what's up. We were up. Up in the stands at what was supposed to be your graduation. Where were you?"

"I had some things to do," she said, her voice still calm.

"You had some things to do? You had-"

"Would you stop repeating everything I say?" She was getting agitated now.

"Please," Luke gestured to all of us. "Please, tell us. What was so much more important than your one and only high school graduation?"

"I just had some things to do, okay. And you're not my mom or my dad, so why should you care. I don't need to justify myself to you Luke. Not to you, not to Maisie and Buddy, and especially not to her," she eyed me angrily and I remembered why I had been reluctant to come to her graduation in the first place.

"I don't understand you Liz. I don't understand you at all."

"Well that's fine, because you know what? I'm outta here. I just came home to get some stuff. I've got my degree and I don't need this town anymore. I'm sick of it here; sick of everyone always being in your face and in your business. You fit in perfectly," she yelled at her brother.

"Liz, you can't leave. What about Dad? What about..." he stammered, not sure what else to say.

"What about what, Luke? Dad has you to take care of him. He has you to take care of the business. You can take care of everything Luke. He's never needed me. Never cared about me the same way he did about you. I don't do sports. I don't care about fishing or hardware or whatever crap you two talk about together. It's time for me to get out of here and make my own life. I'll be fine. I don't need any of you."

Luke was quiet, in a state of shock. "But Liz..."

"But nothing Luke. I'm already packed. I just came to grab my bag."

"Where are you going?"

"Why do you care?"

"You're my sister. I love you," he said quietly.

"Meh. Family is over rated." She stormed up the stairs.

Luke stalked out to the front porch with Buddy following along behind him. Maisie made herself busy in the kitchen. I took another sip of Luke's tea.

Liz bounded noisily back down the stairs with a duffle bag over her shoulder. She stopped before walking out the door to stare at me for a moment. I sat there frozen on the couch, trapped by her intense stare. She huffed. "Be good to my brother," she said and then she was out the door.

While I tried to figure out where that last comment had come from, I could hear Luke through the open windows. "Liz, come on," he pleaded. "Don't do this."

There was no answer from Liz, only the sound of an engine revving up and her car squealing out of the driveway.


	8. Gut Feelings

**Chapter 8: Gut Feelings**

As Liz peeled out of Stars Hollow I was at a loss for what to do. I stood up quietly and took Luke's quickly cooling tea into the kitchen. Maisie stood at the sink washing some dishes. I set the mug quietly on the counter next to her.

"Oh, hello dear," she said in a hushed voice.

I didn't answer her and she continued scrubbing.

She sighed. "It's so nice to wash dishes. Don't you think?"

"Um, yes, sure." Was she crazy?

"They're all covered in food, but just a little water, and soap, and scrubbing and they're good as new. All better." She paused for a minute, placing a plate on the drying rack. She looked down for a minute, then back up at me. "I don't know what we did wrong," she said. "I tried to be here for them...after their mother died. I couldn't replace her though." I had an image of her trying desperately to scrub the pain off young Luke and Liz.

My brain was racing, trying to think of how to reply to that, when Buddy came back into the kitchen. He clapped me on the shoulder as I came in.

"Oh, are you still here?"

"Yes sir." I paused. "Is...Where is Luke?"

"On the front steps. Why don't you go out and try to talk to him."

The porch was dark except for the faint light coming through the living room windows and the flickering street lamp. There was no moon, but the sky was starry. There was a chill in the air this late at night. I sat down on the top step, close to Luke, hoping to stay warm with the help of his body heat. He didn't look at me, but he shifted a little bit closer.

"Hey," I whispered.

His voice was quiet, but I could hear a slight break in it. "Hey."

I wasn't sure what to say. "Are you okay?" I finally decided on.

"Yeah," he said, trying to convince himself as much as me. He dragged his arm across his eyes.

"I'm sure she didn't mean those things she said, Luke."

He turned to me now and I could see the light reflecting off the tears in the corners of his eyes. "No. She meant it. Everything. I just...I wish there was something I could do to make her feel differently."

I remembered Liz's last words to me. "I think she'll come around eventually."

"You think?" He needed to hear it again.

"Yeah, I just have a gut feeling about it."

He smiled a little, finally, and pulled me in close, under his arm, my head on his shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him tightly. "It seems like just yesterday you were hanging around the track taking pictures of me," he said.

"I know," I agreed, laughing into his shirt. "Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"When did you know that you liked me?"

"That day when we first talked," he answered quickly. "I just had a gut feeling about you."

I smiled and snuggled closer, the warmth of his embrace cutting through the hovering chill.


	9. Cheers

**Chapter 9: Cheers**

I steadied the camera lens on a patch of tulips popping up next to the gazebo. Their blooms held the most intense color of any flower I knew of, and every year I looked forward to capturing their succulent, rainbow hues. In capturing their image, I felt like I could capture their vitality, their life. I was setting up my next shot when I felt a hand on my shoulder. The film captured a blurred image of the roof of the gazebo and the sky as I spun around, startled.

"Luke!" I said, breathless. "You scared me!"

He grinned and caught me up in a quick kiss. "Not my fault," he said pulling back. "I called your name three times but I guess you didn't hear me."

I blushed. "Oh, I'm sorry...I was just...I was taking some pictures."

"I noticed," he chuckled, pointing to the camera around my neck.

I looked down at it then back up at him. "Yeah, right. So, hey, how's your dad?"

"He's good. That's what I was coming to tell you, he's coming home today."

"Oh, very exciting."

"Yeah I know," he chuckled back. "Listen, I was going to ask you something."

"Shoot," I aimed the camera at him playfully.

"My dad asked about you. He wants to meet you, officially I guess, once he comes home."

"Oh, wow."

"So I thought maybe you could come over to our house for dinner tonight."

"Tonight? Wow, I guess so...sure."

"Do you think your dad would come too?"

I was sure Dad would be thrilled. "I don't know, but I could ask him."

"Great," he grinned broadly. He pulled me in with an arm around my shoulder and turned us back around towards the gazebo. "So, what are you taking pictures of over here?"

Dad adjusted his tie as we waited for someone to answer our knock. Looking at his face, I couldn't tell how much of his expression was excitement and how much was nervousness. I knew though, that whatever my face looked like, it was pure nervousness. Always able to read me, sometimes better than I could myself, Dad squeezed my hand.

"Come on, this'll be fun," he said, smiling.

Luke opened the door, looking as nervous as I felt. My heart skipped a little at his formal outfit, and I think he felt the same way about my dress. I hated dresses, but I wanted to look nice.

The house smelled incredible, like a lemon grove. Luke flashed me a smile, then greeted my father with a handshake. "How are you sir?" he asked politely.

"Good, very good, son," Dad patted him on the shoulder in a manly way.

A buzzer went off in the kitchen. "Luke," his father said, walking slowly into the living room. "I think it's ready."

"Did you cook?" I asked Luke skeptically.

He nodded, "It's nothing too fancy, just something my mom used to make." He turned to his father, "Dad, you remember Rachel and this is her father, Mr. David Hadley. Mr. Hadley, this is my father, William Danes."

Our fathers shook hands. "You have a lovely daughter," Luke's father told mine. "You should be very proud." Luke disappeared into the kitchen.

"Well thank you," Dad said, grinning crookedly at me. "I am quite proud of her. I could say the same about your son. He seems like quite the gentleman."

Luke's father smiled in genuine gratitude. "Thank you too. Why don't you two come in? Let me show you to the table, I think we're almost ready to eat."

He led us into their formal dining room, which was decked out with a lacy tablecloth, good china and crystal, fresh flowers, and candles.

"It's beautiful," I said mostly to myself. While my dad could cook, he wasn't big on the accessories.

"My wife loved these things," William said, looking wistful. "We hardly ever get them out nowadays."

Luke poked his head in from the kitchen, "Go ahead and sit down everyone, especially you," he pointed at his father. "Here you go." He placed heaping plates in front of my father and me, then ran back to get two more for himself and his father before sitting down. It was a lovely spread of lemon-herb salmon, glazed carrots and a small spinach and tomato salad. I was impressed by Luke's culinary abilities.

"This looks incredible," I whispered shyly across the table.

He smiled.

"How about a toast?" Luke's father asked before we could start eating. "We don't have any wine, what with my old ticker, but the ice water ought to do just fine." We all raised our glasses. "To new friends," he said, looking at me and Luke, "and good children," he said, looking at my father, "and to the blessing of being able to be here today thanks to the quick thinking and good timing of Luke and Rachel. I wanted to thank you both for everything you've done."

I blushed, looking down at the napkin in my lap. "Cheers," Dad said.

"Cheers," the rest of us replied.

"Alright, well, dig in," William urged. "This looks like a feast. I don't know about you two, but I would love a good steak right now. I guess that's not going to happen anymore though. Luke is the only person who can make something that's not a steak good enough that I don't mind the fact that it's not a steak." He chuckled and I saw Luke sit up a little bit straighter.

"So how are you feeling?" my dad asked.

"Well, obviously much better, but still a bit sluggish. I'm supposed to take it slow for a while. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage the store this way, but we'll figure it out."

Our fathers chatted back and forth for most of the evening, while Luke and I exchanged shy glances and poorly hidden half smiles across the table. There was peach pie for dessert, which was wonderful. On our way home, Dad asked me if it had really been that bad after all. I told him no, of course, but really it had been one of the most torturous nights of my life. I couldn't wait for things to settle down so that Luke and I could get on with just being together. I was looking forward to a long, lazy summer.


	10. Fireflies

**Chapter 10: Fireflies**

Summers in Stars Hollow seemed to stand still. The world kept turning, but somehow life inside the town limits was like listening to the same mesmerizing symphony everyday. The sun rose early every morning, children came out to play and ride their bikes, adults mingled under shady awnings and in the town square, in the evening the faint smell of barbeque would mingle with sweet floral scents, then eventually the sun would set, and the fireflies would come out to dance on lawns until the moon came up.

My life settled into a nice routine as well. In the mornings I would have breakfast with Dad while he read the paper. Then I would head over to Williams Hardware where Luke had pretty much taken over the business while his dad was sick. Luke would do the work necessary to keep the store afloat, and I would help where I could. In the evenings we would watch TV at one of our houses, go to a movie, or join in a pick-up softball game. It was sweet and comfortable. I was happy, and despite the difficulties in his life, Luke seemed happy too.

"So, great game today Mr. Five Home Runs."

Luke glanced over at me in the twilight. "You weren't too shabby yourself. You're getting better. Didn't I tell you it would be fun?"

"Yes," I drawled, not fully willing to admit it. "You were right. I still feel stupid every time I strike out though."

"But hey, that's less and less often now," he tried to be encouraging.

We were rounding the corner of my street. It was late and we were hot and dirty but I didn't feel like calling it a night just yet. "Hey," I stopped walking and he turned around to look at me. "Lets not go home yet."

He dropped his bag lightly on the sidewalk and looked at me, amused. "What would you like to do?"

I smiled coyly. "Let's just go for a walk."

"It's getting dark."

"So? It's Stars Hollow. What's going to happen?"

"You have a point."

"Come on," I tugged on his arm and batted my eyelashes.

He kissed my forehead and grinned down through my fluttering lashes. "Well okay."

"Yay!" I bounced a little and fell into step next to him as we turned around to drop off his bag at his house before our walk.

We made a wide loop around town, holding hands, seldom talking but happy in the quiet stillness that was settling over the town as the sun set. Our aimless path eventually took us to the lake behind the high school. The lake lapped up against the wooden posts of the bridge. Crickets were beginning to chirp and the first fireflies were coming out.

He looked at me. I looked at him. We settled wordlessly against the base of a tree. Luke was quiet for a moment, and then quickly reached his hand out and snatched one of the glowing points of light. He held it in two cupped hands and made a little hole in one end.

"Look," he whispered.

I peeked in between his hands. "Hey, there it goes," I whispered as the little captive lit up again. I wasn't sure why we were whispering. It was just something about the moment that called for whispering.

He opened his hands again and waited for the firefly to escape. One hand then settled around my neck and the other reached around to my knee as he turned towards me. His lips rested on mine; lightly at first, then with more pressure. His hand came up into my hair to cradle my head as we shifted around to face each other more comfortably. Our faces were so close as we kissed, that I felt his eyelashes on my cheek like butterfly kisses.

My hand rested on his chest and I could feel his heart racing underneath the fabric. I smiled into the kiss as his fingers inadvertently tickled the delicate skin behind my ear. He played on that and tickled me for real this time. I giggled and squirmed until I realized I was lying in the grass and he was looking down at me, smiling the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. My heart was racing, although it had nowhere to go. His eyes were asking me a question and I did not need a verbal translation. As answer, I began unbuttoning his baseball jersey. His lips fell on mine again and I was lost in the darkness and swirl of firefly lights.

Afterwards we lay covered in blades of grass and leaves, just listening to the lapping of the lake and our own breathing. All sense of time had stopped a while ago, but it was pitch black out, with only a sliver of a moon, and all of Stars Hollow was dead quiet. Luke lay next to me on his side while I stared up at the stars. He picked a leaf out of my hair and then one off my stomach. I swatted his hand away and he looked hurt.

"Don't," I murmured. "I've got a better idea." I stood up slowly and awkwardly, suddenly shy in my nakedness. He looked at me adoringly as I grabbed his hand and pulled him up along with me. "Come on, let's go skinny dipping."

I'm sure he was wondering what alien being had over taken my body, but I didn't care. We had already come this far, might as well have a little more fun before the night was out.

He shook his head in amusement at my suggestion, but all he said was, "okay, let's go."

We walked gawkily down to the lakes edge. He walked in readily, but I was suddenly hesitant. "Come on," he urged, pulling lightly on both my arms. I stuck one foot in and almost slipped on the mossy, wet stones. "I've got you," he steadied me. I stuck my other foot in and he guided us, walking backwards until we were both up to our shoulders. It was cold and I had goose bumps running down my spine. He pulled me in closer and rubbed my back, splashing water into my hair and freeing any clingy bits of nature from our earlier adventures. I did the same for him. When we were both clean we played a little in the water, like children at the community pool.

Eventually, we both knew it was much too late. We made our way out of the lake and back into our clothes, still dirty from softball. By the time we reached my house everything but my hair was mostly dry. All the lights in the house were out except for the flickering of the TV.

We stood at the end of the drive and exchanged a kiss that I knew I was destined to relive that night, and for many nights to come, in my dreams. He watched me walk up the path after we said our good nights, and I slipped into the house silently. Dad was asleep in front of the television, as I had assumed, so I slipped upstairs as quickly as I could without making a sound.


	11. School Days

**Author's Notes: **I keep forgetting to add author's notes when I post this over here. I should thank my betas **iheartbridges** and **ecouteuse**, they read every chapter and keep me on my toes. I also want to thank everyone over here who has been reviewing. That stuff keeps me going on this story when I would otherwise probably just quit it. Don't worry, I'm only just getting started on this, there is much, much more planned. Hope you like this...

**Chapter 11: School Days**

Luke and I managed to spend the summer in that protective bubble of a new relationship. It was only a few weeks after our visit to the lake before it was time for school to start again. This was Luke's senior year and he was looking forward to just being done with it. I think the only reason he even came to school was to remain eligible to play sports. I was looking forward to another year as a photographer on the paper. With more seniority I would have more leeway to choose stories I wanted to shoot, as opposed to all the athletic endeavors I had to shoot last year. Although, I had to admit, one of those athletic assignments had turned out quite well.

"What's your first class?" I asked him as we stood in the main hallway on the first morning of the new school year.

"English," he told me looking at the form with his schedule. "You?"

"Biology."

"Oh," he sounded disappointed. "Other side of the school."

"Yeah," I said. We were holding hands, so I swung his back and forth a little. "See you at lunch though?"

"Definitely," he smiled. The bell rang and he planted a kiss on my surprised lips. "I'll see you later."

"Later," I said, reluctant to leave but not wanting to be late to class either.

My morning classes were fine, nothing exceptionally exciting, but I wouldn't be drowning in homework all year either. I did realize though, how few actual friends I had. I obviously knew people from classes last year, the newspaper, and even elementary and middle school, but there was no one that I wanted to girlishly gossip with. I never felt the urge to go up to someone and exclaim: "Oh my God, my boyfriend is so hot!" People were nice to me that morning, but everyone seemed to be holding back, a little bit more restrained than even your average, everyday acquaintance. I chalked it up to not having really associated with anyone but Luke over the summer.

By lunch I was starving and dying for some time with Luke. I dropped my books off at my locker and headed for the cafeteria. It was buzzing with all the pent up gossip from the summer. I scanned the room quickly with my radar tuned for Luke. I finally spotted him at a table surrounded by members of the track and baseball teams. They were all chatting and laughing loudly. The grin on my face grew as I approached.

"Luke!" I tried to get his attention.

He looked up and then back down at his food, clearly uncomfortable. He had already eaten lunch. Why had he already eaten without me?

He looked back up at me as he stood up with his tray. His blue eyes locked with mine for a moment and I felt my body turn to ice. Something was wrong. As I racked my brain for an answer he started walking away.

"Luke!" I ran after him, catching his arm. I was vaguely aware of all the other conversations around us quieting until all I could hear was the occasional snicker. "Luke, what's wrong? What's going on?"

He looked like he was going to say something, but then he just hung his head and turned away from me again.

"Luke!" I pleaded. "Please. Tell me what's going on."

He turned slowly. "I trusted you Rachel. I thought that was something sacred between the two of us."

And with that he was gone, surrounded by a pack of burly jocks. My appetite suddenly gone, I stood in the middle of the cafeteria while the surrealness of it all spun around me.

A guy I recognized but didn't know sidled up to me. "Hey baby," he drawled. "Wanna go out to the lake? I hear you like it out there."

I sputtered, my chest heaving in panicked desperation, my face burning. How did anyone...surely no one had...but how would they...My brain struggled to make a coherent thought. I turned and did my best impression of nonchalance as I walked out of the cafeteria.

I spent the rest of lunch hiding out in the dark room of the newspaper, fiddling with a print I had been wanting to make. I sat in the back of every other class I had that day then ran the whole way home after school.

When Dad came home from work I was on my bed staring at the ceiling wishing there was someone I could talk to. I had left several messages with Luke's father for him to call me back, but the phone refused to ring.

"Rachel?" Dad called up the stairs. "You want dinner?"

"No Dad," I yelled back. "I'm not hungry. I had a big lunch."

"Okay sweetie. I'll make a little extra though. In case you get hungry later."

"Thanks," I called back.

I could hear him rattling around in the kitchen as I turned towards the wall and finally let the tears flow.


	12. Homecomings

**Chapter 12: Homecomings**

I was completely at a loss as to how to handle this situation. I didn't want to tell my dad about what had happened, because then I would have to explain what the gossip was all about. I tried calling Luke all week. He avoided me at school and never returned a call. He thought I had told someone about that night, I was sure of that, but who did he think I would have told? I threw myself into homework and photography. I was weeks ahead on readings and assignments.

Dad had tried to talk to me.

"So," he had said looking up from the paper one morning. "Haven't seen much of Luke around lately. You two still seeing each other?"

"Mmm, no not really," I mumbled into my cereal.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, um, no I haven't seen him much since school started."

"Oh," he scrutinized my face for a minute, but sensed I didn't want to talk about it and went back to the paper.

Homecoming was rapidly approaching, and, while I wanted nothing to do with the game or the dance, I had been assigned to photograph both events for a special edition of the Minutemen Gazette.

The evening of the Homecoming football game was crisp, as autumn had settled into the Northeast. I shivered on the sidelines as the light wind cut through my sweater. We were losing, of course, but the crowd didn't seem to care. Most everyone was oblivious to the game. They were huddled in packs to transfer warmth between bodies, and in a futile attempt to hide the alcohol they were imbibing.

I finished the roll of film I had taken on the game and found a quiet area behind the concessions stand to change it. I mechanically wound the film until I felt it slacken. My fingers flipped the back of the camera open, popped out the film and loaded a new roll while my mind wandered.

Of course I had seen him. At the top of the stands, surrounded the rest of the track team. He looked warm in a flannel shirt and his letterman jacket. They were sharing a flask between them as well as the company of several girls I couldn't recognize from so far away. That was not the Luke I knew; shadow boxing with a friend, throwing his head back in uncontrolled laughter, bad mouthing the football team for their pathetic performance.

Even after so many weeks, it still hurt. I had thought we were so close. We had fallen, fast and hard, into a deep intimacy, but maybe it had been too fast. Maybe we had placed too much significance on such a young, fresh relationship.

Gathering my things and my thoughts I went back to the action. This roll would have to be of people. I walked along the front of the stands, looking up at the crowd. I shot a group of bookish girls who were pretending to know what was happening. I shot a group of math and science nerds who were eyeing the bookish girls. I shot three cheerleaders whispering about another cheerleader while she wasn't looking. I shot a couple girls tripping over some parents in a drunker stupor. I shot a boyfriend and girlfriend who were paying more attention to each other's lips than the game. I shot the band, trying to stay in tune. I shot someones rotund father returning to his seat with three hotdogs and a soda.

I wandered around the stands to see what was happening in the shadows, so to speak. I heard some giggling down below the stands where it was dark. Tempting fate at what I would find, I followed the outline of two people stumbling, clearly drunk, in the dark. When he tripped, the girl, who had big puffy hair, pushed the guy up against one of the pillars that held up the stands and started kissing him clumsily. He pushed her away at first, then, in drunken uncertainty, pulled her back in, arms moving up and down her back.

"Mmm-ey," he mumbled through the kiss.

"Mmm, Butch," I clearly heard her sigh.

My gasp must have been audible, because they immediately stopped and looked back in my direction. I didn't know if they could see me in this light.

"Hey, we've got company," the girl giggled. And it was the giggle that gave her away. I knew immediately it was Carrie. Why the hell was she still hanging around high school even after she had graduated?

The guy I now knew must be Luke stumbled towards me, shoulders forward, intent on knowing who else was down here. His alcohol-clouded eyes came into focus as he grabbed my arm angrily. "What do you think you're..." he stopped suddenly. He dropped my arm and stood back, taking a deep breath. "Rachel."

I could feel the heat rising to the surface of my skin as I stood there and stared at him. Carrie had sunk down against the pillar and continued to giggle annoyingly. "Come back Butchy, just ignore the little brat."

He seemed to no longer hear her as he stared at me. "Rachel," he said again, apparently unable to form any other words or phrases.

My feet were frozen. Tears were starting to prick the corners of my eyes and I knew that I had to get away, run far away. I willed my feet to move but they remained stuck to the ground.

He took a step closer and touched my arm, softly this time. "Rachel," he whispered.

That was it. My feet moved without instruction from my brain. "Rachel!" I heard him yell after me, then more giggling.

I managed to make it home, though I couldn't see through the tears. I staggered through the front door, tears streaming down my face. I slammed the door and ran up the stairs, avoiding Dad, who was watching TV in the living room.

"Rachel?" Dad called up the stairs, but I barely heard him with the pillow over my head.


	13. Pebbles

**Authors Notes:** A huge thanks needs to go to my betas, **iheartbridges** and **ecouteuse** for their work on this chapter. They both helped to take this chapter from a jumble of words to a coherent piece of writing that I can be proud of. You could never annoy me **ecouteuse**, even with that evil grin of yours. And **bridges**, I told you I'd put up a billboard in your honor for all your help...I'll get right on that tomorrow, I promise.

**Disclaimer:** Yes, Amy owns them, but I still love them.

**Chapter 13: Pebbles**

I heard quick, heavy footfalls on the stairs and then Dad knocking on my door.

"Rachel! What's going on? Can I come in?"

I pulled the pillow off my head and sat up on the bed. "Yeah," I answered, afraid that he would break down the door otherwise, with the sheer strength of his worry.

Breathless from running up the stairs, he came and sat down on the bed next to me, looking serious. "What in the world was that about?"

"It's nothing, I just had a bad night."

His look told me he knew better than that. "You were at the Homecoming game, right?" I nodded. "Was Luke there?" I nodded, more slowly this time, trying to hold myself together. "Was he there with someone else?" My face crumpled as I nodded again.

"Oh Rachel," he pulled me in to his shoulder as I started to cry. "I...I don't know what to tell you, but I'm sorry." I hiccupped into his shirt. "It's times like these I wish your mom was here to talk to you." I hiccupped again.

"It's okay," I whispered. "You're doing a pretty good job."

He smoothed my hair. "Thanks sweetie." He held me for a little while, until all of the tears subsided. "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright," I sighed.

"Okay, well I'm going to go to bed. You should too." He rumpled my hair, stood up and stretched. "Do you want anything? Water? Ice cream?" He knew me well, but I wasn't myself tonight. I shook my head. "Okay. Well, good night sweetheart. Sleep well," he emphasized.

"Good night Dad. I'll try," I smiled weakly. He kissed the top of my head and shut the door quietly on his way out.

I sighed for the millionth time that night and flung myself back on the bed, covering my eyes with my palms. I pressed deeply on my temples in a vain attempt to press out all of the bad things that had happened lately. How could Luke be so stupid? The more I thought about it, the more furious I got.

I heard a branch knock against my window in the wind. Then I slowly remembered that there wasn't a tree that close to the house. I pulled myself out of bed just as I heard another knock. I realized it was a pebble. My tired brain took a minute to figure out who it could be, but then I realized it must be Luke. I couldn't see into the darkness, but I knew he would be able to see my angry face. I pulled the curtains shut then stalked across the room, turned out the light and flopped back on the bed.

It was quiet for a moment, but then I heard another pebble hit the glass, then another, and another, coming more quickly now, with greater urgency. I was starting to worry that he might wake up Dad, so I swung my legs over the side of the bed and got up to tiptoe downstairs.

I opened the door quietly and stepped out onto the porch. Immediately chilled by the autumn night air, I wrapped my arms around myself. When my eyes had adjusted to the light I saw him, still on the lawn, about to throw another stone.

"_Luke_," I hissed. "Stop it."

His head snapped towards me and he jogged over in a tipsy sort of trot. "Rachel!" He bounded up the stairs and enveloped me in a giant hug. Surprised, I remained stiff in his arms. He smelled like whiskey, but he was warm and soft.

I gathered my strength and pushed him away. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Rachel...I...I wanna stop this." He looked at me sideways and cupped my face gently. "I miss you."

I stepped back and away from him. "No Luke. It's not that easy. I don't even understand where this is coming from. You ignore me for weeks and now you're here telling me you missed me? I don't get it. I don't get you."

He swung his arms around, suddenly irritated. "Oh, like you're that easy to understand?"

"How hard is it to understand that I'm a little wary of sudden hugs from the person who has ignored my existence for weeks?"

"No, that's not what I meant. How could you tell everyone such private things. I mean, you knew what I was going through...with my dad and Liz..." his voice faltered a little. "I didn't understand how _you_ could betray me like that...give me more things to worry about, more things to be embarrassed about."

"Why would you believe I would tell someone about what we did together? Who would I have told anyway? I spent the whole summer with you, who could I have talked to?"

He stuttered for a moment, surprised by the onslaught and not quite able to process it all in his drunken state. "Well I don't know. Don't you have girlfriends that you gossip with and stuff?"

"No Luke. I don't. I have my dad and I had you. Now I just have my dad."

"But you can have me again," he whispered, a giddy, confused grin on his face.

"Don't you have any idea how embarrassed I was? Don't you have any idea how lonely I've been since school started? Why should I think it won't happen again?"

He stared at me for a moment, seemingly trying to compose an appropriate answer. He turned around and leaned his head on his arms against the porch rail. I stood perfectly still except for a shiver when the wind blew. I pondered going over to see if he was okay, but thought better of it. When he stood up again his entire demeanor had changed.

He looked at me solemnly. "I'm sorry," he said simply. "I don't _know_ why I listened to everyone. I just got caught up in everything on that first day, and it was easier to believe that you had talked about it, than to imagine that someone else could have...you know..." I nodded. "I tried to track down the rumor for awhile but it kept going in circles. And then...I don't know...I had school and the team, and my dad and his store, and Liz, and I just...I'm a jerk. I don't know. I guess I just wanted to forget about all my problems, you know...so I didn't have to deal with them." He paused. "You could have come to me too you know. You could have told me."

"I didn't feel like I could." He was waiting for an explanation. "I was just...too hurt, and too scared. I didn't think you ever wanted to see me again after the way you walked out of the cafeteria like that."

"I'm sorry about that." He swayed a little and leaned back on the railing.

"How do I know that the next time something comes up you won't just cut and run again? How do I know that you trust me?"

He sighed and looked at me with a mixture of longing and sadness. "I missed you," was his answer.

"I missed you too," I whispered.

"Truce?" he asked.

_No, not so fast_, I thought. "What about Carrie?"

"What _about_ Carrie?"

"You were kissing her tonight."

"She kissed me." He shuffled his feet.

"But you kissed her back."

"I was drunk. I still am drunk."

I shook my head in disbelief. "So nothing you do should have any consequences if you're drunk? What about this conversation then...if you're drunk now?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean, Luke? Are you in this relationship or what?"

"I want to be. Rachel, I swear. Carrie means nothing to me. Once I actually realized that you had probably done nothing wrong, I thought I had already lost you. I thought you were out of my life for good...until I saw you there tonight. But the look on your face...it showed me that I still meant something to you. That you still cared and maybe there was still a chance for us."

Touched by his honesty and openness, I stepped a little bit closer to him. "So...Carrie means nothing to you?"

"Nothing. Carrie is...she's Carrie. She's crazy. You know how she is."

I stepped closer again. "So...you missed me?"

"Desperately," he whispered, his voice strained.

I stepped into his arms. "I missed you too. Should we try this again?"

"Please," he murmured as his lips came down to touch mine. With his arms around me I was having chills for a different reason now. "Rachel?" he asked after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a date for the dance tomorrow?"

I chuckled to myself. "No," I admitted.

He looked suddenly shy. "Would you go with me?"

"I don't have a dress," I stated simply.

He paused for a moment. "I'm pretty sure that can be arranged." He grinned. "Will you go with me?"

I kissed him softly.

"Is that a yes?" he mumbled through the kiss.

I laughed, for the first time in weeks. "Yes," I told him. "That's a yes."


	14. Butterflies

**Author's Notes:** Wow, so I'm really sorry about the length of time it took to get back to this. I was very surprised and quite preoccupied by an unwelcome liquid visitor to my apartment. It has not been fun and continues to be a hassle. Anyway, besides that I need to thank my usual betas for taking time out of their busy lives to help poor little old me. You both rock. Much love.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them, but I love them.

**Chapter 14: Butterflies**

The next morning I met Luke in front of his dad's store as he had instructed last night.

"Good morning," I kissed him shyly.

"Good morning," he echoed.

"So, how are we going to get this dress?" I asked him curiously.

"You'll see," he told me with a grin. "Come on," he motioned to the truck parked along the street.

"But, where are we going?" I pestered him.

"You'll see," was all he would say.

Our ride was short. We soon pulled up to the Independence Inn which was at the edge of town. I looked at him with my eyebrows raised.

"This is it," he said.

"Um...Luke? What are we going to do? Steal a dress from a tourist?"

He rolled his eyes. "You'll see."

We walked into the lobby and looked around. Luke seemed to be looking for someone.

A petite woman walked out of what appeared to be the kitchen. "Mia!" Luke called, walking over to her.

"Ah, good morning Lucas," she said and I tried to smother a grin.

"You got my message?" he asked her.

"Yes, honey, I got your message. I'll see what I can do. Where is your friend?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," he pulled me over. "Mia, this is Rachel. Rachel, this is Mia. She owns the Independence Inn. Her son John is one of my friends from track."

"It's very nice to meet you," I told her. "I've been here before to take pictures. It's beautiful."

"Thank you, dear. Nice to meet you too. It is wonderful to see Lucas with someone so lovely." I smiled. "He mentioned that you need a dress for tonight."

"We're sorry this is kind of last minute," Luke said.

Mia smiled. "Oh, I know this. We will figure something out." She looked at me. "There are several bolts of beautiful fabric, leftover from some weddings we held recently, in the basement. I'll let you pick one out, take your measurements, and we'll have a dress in no time."

This woman had me beaming. I liked her already.

"Well," Luke said. "I'll take that as my cue to leave you two alone. Do you have a list for me?" he asked Mia.

She pulled a sheet out of a folder. "Here you go. This young man is the best handy man I've ever found," she told me as Luke blushed.

"Okay. Well, I'll see you later." He kissed me on the cheek and disappeared out the front door.

Mia took my arm. "Come on, honey. Let me show you the fabrics."

I had always been wary of dances and other frilly things. A side effect of only living with Dad, I always assumed. The way Mia worked though, I felt like Cinderella. Before long she had created a masterpiece out of red satin, with puffy sleeves and a skirt much shorter than I was used to. It was beautiful, but I wondered how I would pull it off.

It wasn't so much the dress as it was the aura that it created; one where I was suddenly noticeable again. As the photographer, I was used to being behind the scenes, inconspicuous, but tonight I would be walking into the lion's den of Stars Hollow High School in a dress as bright as a matador's cape. I remembered the last time I felt that way, standing in the middle of the cafeteria, and I did not relish the thought of repeating it.

By the time I was ready to go I had butterflies in my stomach. I had explained the basics of the situation to Dad. When I came downstairs he raised his eyebrows a bit at seeing me in such a fancy dress, but otherwise only gave me a slightly crooked smile.

The knock at the door made me jump, but I opened it quickly. Luke stood on the porch looking dashing in dark pants and a sports coat. I was shocked to see that he was even wearing a nice tie. He stood there, looking a little bit shocked for a moment before he remembered to lean in for a kiss.

"You look incredible," he whispered as his lips pulled away from mine.

"Likewise," I told him, the butterflies a flurry of activity.

Dad had snuck up behind me. "Hey there lovebirds," Luke and I cringed, "we need to get a picture before you two escape." We both laughed nervously as we posed in front of the fireplace.

The night was brisk, but the goose bumps on my skin were nothing compared to the fluttering in my stomach. I subconsciously began to slow down as we approached the school. Luke finally turned around when he realized I wasn't keeping up.

"Rachel?" he asked puzzled, looking back at me.

I stopped and sighed, looked down at my shoes then back up at him, trying to keep my heart from beating its way out of my chest.

He walked back towards me and rubbed my arms. "Are you cold? Do you want my jacket?"

I shivered and stepped into his arms. "Well, yeah, but...that's not...I just..."

"What?" he looked down at me.

"I'm a little bit scared to go in there," I finally admitted.

His arms tightened around me and I breathed in the smell of his cologne as my face pressed against his neck. "I'm sorry," he whispered. One hand made its way up to my hairline, kneading the muscles there absentmindedly. "If you don't want to go, we can find something else to do."

"No," I pulled back a little to look at him. "I want to go, I just...I need to know that you're really here, that you won't just walk away like...like..."

"I know." He rested his forehead on mine. "I don't know what to say to convince you, but if you trust me, I'll...I can...well you'll see. I won't let you down again."

I looked into his eyes and couldn't find any indication that I shouldn't believe him. The blueness of them calmed my nerves and settled my stomach. Suddenly I could see nothing else but their depths. I tilted my head up to kiss him and my worries melted away with the warmth of his lips.

When I looked at him again, he had an incredibly serene look on his face. I laughed at seeing him with his guard down again. Different memories sprung back to me now. There were no more fireflies this late in the year, but I could see them in my mind's eye. They danced around the edge of my vision as I stared at him again. And as they flew away, the tension of the past weeks flew away with them.


End file.
